Supreme Court task force to examine state bar

Sunday

Feb 16, 2014 at 2:09 PM

The Associated Press

LANSING — The Michigan Supreme Court has created a task force to explore whether attorneys should be required to join the State Bar of Michigan.The move comes just a few weeks after a Sen. Arlan Meekhof, R-Olive Township, sponsored a bill to make membership voluntary. Critics of mandatory membership say the State Bar has become too political and not all lawyers agree with its actions.Meekhof released a statement Thursday, saying he won't push for the passage of his bill, Senate Bill 743, since the supreme court has taken up the cause.“I believe the court is best situated to deal with the problems with the state bar," the statement read. "Hopefully a resolution can be reached without having to pass legislation.”The task force will be led by Alfred Butzbaugh, a former Berrien County judge and past president of the State Bar. Other members include an appeals court judge and the former dean of two law schools.A report is due by June. The U.S. Supreme Court in 1990 upheld mandatory bar membership in California but said dues shouldn't be used to pay for ideological activities.— Sentinel reporter Andrea Goodell contributed to this report.